Uzbek President Islam Karimov issued a decree on 5 January appointing Bahodyr Matlyubov as interior minister. Lieutenant General Matlyubov, who previously held senior positions in the Interior Ministry and the State Customs Committee, replaces Zokir Almatov, who resigned in December for health reasons after more than a decade as interior minister (see \"RFE/RL Newsline,\" 27 December 2005). The European Union named Almatov as one of many Uzbek officials placed on a visa-restriction list for their role in suppressing a protest in the eastern Uzbek city of Andijon in May. Gayrat Qodirov was also named the new deputy interior minister on 5 January. (RFE/RL)